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1 Views
00:00:00 05/27/12
The Future Is In Our Hands
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 00:00:00 05/27/12
What does it mean to Go Green? Well, it means being informed… It means caring and being active in your community to help drive change and make an impact…
0 Views
15:20:46 05/25/12
euronews right on - Can I vote if I move abroad?
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 15:20:46 05/25/12
euronews right on - Can I vote if I move abroad?
www.euronews.com While the right for foreigners to vote is being debated in several European countries, EU citizens already have certain rights within the continent. For most municipal and European elections they may vote and be elected in any member state without having the nationality of the country. However rights that have already been around for 20 years are still often poorly understood, as Ella Fallgred, a Swedish national who has now settled in Italy explained. She said: "I had always thought that when I retire I am going to live in Italy and that's what I did. I came and I didn't know the area at all, and I fell in love with it, so much so that I wanted to become a local councillor." After living for 20 years in England, Ella moved to Umbria, Italy five years ago. Upon arrival, she became involved in local life and wished to vote in local elections. But Ella told us the authorities claimed that she was ineligible to vote: "It surprised me a bit that I couldn't vote in the local elections because when I lived in England I always voted in the local elections. I knew I couldn't vote for the government, but I thought I could vote for the local councillors. Then I did some research on the internet and found out that, in fact, I could have voted." She has now put her name forward as a candidate for the Green party, but again found herself tied up by red tape. "The day before we were supposed to hand in our list of candidates they told us that I needed a certificate ... From: Euronews Views: 78 5 ratings Time: 08:30 More in Shows
0 Views
15:20:46 05/25/12
euronews right on - Can I vote if I move abroad?
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 15:20:46 05/25/12
euronews right on - Can I vote if I move abroad?
www.euronews.com While the right for foreigners to vote is being debated in several European countries, EU citizens already have certain rights within the continent. For most municipal and European elections they may vote and be elected in any member state without having the nationality of the country. However rights that have already been around for 20 years are still often poorly understood, as Ella Fallgred, a Swedish national who has now settled in Italy explained. She said: "I had always thought that when I retire I am going to live in Italy and that's what I did. I came and I didn't know the area at all, and I fell in love with it, so much so that I wanted to become a local councillor." After living for 20 years in England, Ella moved to Umbria, Italy five years ago. Upon arrival, she became involved in local life and wished to vote in local elections. But Ella told us the authorities claimed that she was ineligible to vote: "It surprised me a bit that I couldn't vote in the local elections because when I lived in England I always voted in the local elections. I knew I couldn't vote for the government, but I thought I could vote for the local councillors. Then I did some research on the internet and found out that, in fact, I could have voted." She has now put her name forward as a candidate for the Green party, but again found herself tied up by red tape. "The day before we were supposed to hand in our list of candidates they told us that I needed a certificate ... From: Euronews Views: 78 5 ratings Time: 08:30 More in Shows
1 Views
00:16:54 05/22/12
New Releases For May 22, 2012 - Press Pause Daily
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 00:16:54 05/22/12
This week’s new releases brings you a future war with dragons, aliens, a little bit of sorcery, and a time traveller.
SHOW NOTES:
GAME 1: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier - PS3, Xbox 360, PC
First up is the newest game in Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon series.
Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will have you playing as a member of an elite team of highly trained, cut-throat special-ops soldiers. Armed to the teeth with unrivalled combat technology and cutting-edge military hardware.
The game is set in the near future and will give gamers a new assortment of exciting weapons and gear such as the cross com, optical camouflage, the sync shot and more.
There will be a 12 hour single player game across 8 different locations across the world.
You can also team up with your friends to tackle that game’s 12 missions online, or on the couch in two player split screen.
And of course the game will feature online multiplayer featuring up to 16 players in 8 versus 8 matches. Select from 3 classes and play in 4 different game modes, including the classic Seige.
So FPS fans, here is another games to suck away all of your free time. It’s out now for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC.
GAME 2: Dragon's Dogma - PS3, Xbox 360
Next up we have a western style action RPG from Capcom that was developed by some of the team that worked on Resident Evil 4 and Devil May Cry 4.
Dragon’s Dogma places you in the role of the nameless “hero” who is visited by a dragon who tells you you are the chosen one....then proceeds to rip out your heart. You are reborn as an “Arisen,” who is destined to find and kill the dragon who stole your heart.
You’ll choose from several job types, such as: Fighter, Warrior, Mystic Knight, Strider, Ranger, Assassin, Mage, Sorcerer and Magic Archer.
The game’s main stand out point is its “Pawn” system. These are AI teammates, one main one you can train, and two secondary pawns that can vary depending on your combat style. You’ll also be able to share your main pawns with your friends over PSN and Xbox Live.
There is a high level of depth that can affect your gameplay. The weight of your weapon, the material of your armor -- even the length of your legs -- plays a role in how you fight your battles, but does not interrupt the flow of the action.
If you are a fan of RPGs, then this might be one to check out. And as an added bonus, if you purchase the game today, you’ll get a redeemable code that will give you early access to a demo for Resident Evil 6.
GAME 3: Sorcery - PS3
Next up we have a PS3 single player action dungeon crawler that utilizes the Playstation Move controller.
You start out as a lowly farm hand, and as you become a sorcerer’s apprentice, you will gain more and more powerful magics.
Wield the power of a legendary sorcerer's wondrous magic wand as you cast extraordinary magic, brew enchanted elixirs, solve ingenious puzzles and combat the minions of darkness
Spells range from blunt force, ice and fire based varieties, to those allowing for the explosive charging of areas, the creation of a whirlwind that will sweep up enemies and a mend spell that is used to repair destroyed areas. Spells can also be used in conjunction with each other to best particularly difficult enemies and situations.
There hasn't been a lot of games that really make use of the Move, especially ones made specifically for it, and this one looks like it could be quite good. Definitely one to keep an eye on.
GAME 4: Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock - PSN
And finally, our digital game of the week is one we first mentioned at the end of last year, and it features everyone’s favorite time traveller in the blue police box.
Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock is headed to the Playstation Network for PS3 this week, and will make its way to the Vita in June. It will also be making its way to PC and Mac at a later date.
The game finds The Doctor and River Song again saving Earth from bad things as usually happens in a Doctor Who story.
This time the duo head to the Eternity Clock, which is a planet that is a record of everything that has or will ever happen in all of creation.
Along the way, The Doctor and River will face off against classic Who villains the Daleks, the Cybermen, the Silurians and more recent villains The Silence.
The game is a 2D side-scrolling game, that will feature puzzle solving and platforming. It will feature co-op gameplay as the Doctor and River head to London across four different time periods: Elizabethan, Victorian, present day, and the future.
Both Matt Smith and Alex Kingston reprise their roles as the Doctor and River, and bring all of their experience of those roles into their performances.
This game is sound more and more interesting, and looks like it should be a must buy for Doctor Who fans.
Be sure to catch past episodes of Press Pause. To do that, you just need to go to presspause.mevio.com , or our YouTube channel youtube.com/presspausemevio .
0 Views
23:27:36 05/19/12
Damon Lindelof on Ridley Scott - On The Verge
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 23:27:36 05/19/12
Damon Lindelof on Ridley Scott - On The Verge
Getting to speak with Damon Lindelof, the co-creator of Lost and screenwriter of Prometheus, was undoubtably an On The Verge highlight. In this teaser from our show last Thursday, Lindelof tells our own Joshua Topolsky about director Ridley Scott's strong hand in the creative process during the making of Prometheus %mdash it turns out that when you're working with a director like Scott, screenwriting can be somewhat comparable to Mad Libs, with Lindelof filling in the blanks around Scott's vision. See full episodes and more clips at On.TheVerge.com From: TheVerge Views: 1864 46 ratings Time: 01:24 More in Entertainment
2 Views
22:48:30 05/17/12
It's Casual - Live in Studio B - Part 1 - The New Los Angeles
[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 22:48:30 05/17/12
Part 1 of It's Casual performing live at Mevio Studios in San Francisco
For the entire performance CLICK HERE
WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER MYSPACE YOUTUBE
BIO:
Like most Angelenos, Eddie Solis is pissed about the traffic on the 101. Unlike most Angelenos, Eddie Solis writes songs about being pissed about the traffic on the 101.
Solis’ band, an impossibly loud punk/hardcore duo called It’s Casual, addresses transit issues with an urgency hitherto unmatched in the realm of urban planning. Imagine Henry Rollins at a City Council Transportation Committee meeting, all neck veins and municipal outrage, and you get the picture.
Onstage, Solis’ eyes bulge amid a shock of curly hair, his throat emitting the collective war cry of a million frustrated commuters: “Los Angeles! There’s too many people! I want them to go away!”
His isn’t the Los Angeles of Priuses, Pilates and brunch, but the L.A. of undocumented immigrants, hardcore music and bus-stop delays. After nearly 10 years of ceaseless yelling, It’s Casual have a busy year ahead of them, what with slots on Fu Manchu’s North American tour, a forthcoming sequel to their ’08 ode to the city, The New Los Angeles, and, maybe, a European tour.
“We’ve been working at it and believing in this kind of music — which I call L.A. hardcore or L.A. skate rock — every day,” says Solis. His gaze is unflinching, and his voice is smog-raspened. He calls It’s Casual “L.A.’s only two-piece hardcore band” and is serious about his art. “I don’t take it lightly. It all comes from deep within.”
It’s Casual formed in 2001, the name inspired by a line in Cameron Crowe’s obscure follow-up to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, called The Wild Life. In it, a character played by the late Christopher Penn replies with “It’s casual” every time he is asked a question. Solis currently has a similar relationship with drummers — he’s between them. As far as a third member? “We kept trying to find a bassist, and they kept flaking,” Solis says.
The band’s sonic boom is amazing, considering there are only two of them. The secret to their sound is a unique pedal and mic’ing system. Solis’ guitar is actually wired to two amps for added punch. The results are so thunderous that fellow musicians have been known to come early to shows to watch him set up. (“There is a special formula with different pedals,” he explains of his sound. He’s trying to register it as intellectual property.)
It’s Casual’s first record, The New Los Angeles, came out in fall 2007, and was inspired by Solis’ commute from Pico Rivera to Hollywood. Tracks include “EZ Pass,” about the public transit ticket, and “The Red Line” (the handy subway that connects North Hollywood to Union Station). Most of It’s Casual’s songs last around two minutes and contain no more than three or four lyrics, hammering home their message with a directness most public servants and council officials have yet to master. Even Councilman Bill Rosendahl, chair of Los Angeles’ Transportation Committee, is impressed. “Music is a good way to get transportation messages across,” he says during a recent phone call, adding that he hoped It’s Casual were aware that plans for the Purple Line are afoot. “They should write a song about the Purple Line!” he enthuses, suggesting possible lyrics, singing: “The Purple Line/In my lifetime!”
It’s not all subways and off-ramps. Solis ventures into other matters. “Cholas Are Loyal,” for example, is all about the advantages of dating Latinas. And It’s Casual’s next album, The New Los Angeles II: Less Violence, More Violins, is inspired primarily by the California education budget deficit. “Do you think It’s Casual will translate in Europe?” he wonders, aware of his band’s distinctly local messages. But wherever there is a rush hour, there are people who identify with Eddie Solis.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles County, Solis is “the result of basically growing up around a gang-infested area with lots of negativity.” He turned to music and skateboarding as an escape, and was 15 when he started his first band — a Ramones cover group called Endless Vacation, which played shows in his parents’ living room. He got “the heaviness” from his father, who used to carry his young son around the house on his shoulders while listening to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and the Who. “They weren’t handing me money to buy me instruments,” Solis says, “but they were, like, ‘Hey, listen, we know you wanna do this, so here’s our backyard and here’s our living room.’ Which is pretty punk.”
His parents let him build a halfpipe in the back, and Solis would “put Slayer on the radio superloud” and learn skateboarding tricks with his friends. “That would be Friday night, and then Saturday we would have a show on the ramp and take donations to keep it refurbished.” Skate videos informed his taste in music — the teenage Solis would grab a pen and paper and pause the VCR to jot down names of bands like Black Flag, Dinosaur Junior, Hüsker Dü, “… all the good stuff on SST.”
Fast-forward to 1993, when Solis started interning at metal record label Century Media, which gave him a taste of hardcore commuting. Taking the bus from Pico Rivera to the label’s headquarters in Santa Monica every day was a formative experience, but he only lasted about a month (“Well, you know, it was a long trek”). That job led to a position at Priority Records, down the street in the CNN building. That’s where he learned how to sell records, a job he still does today as sales manager at doom-metal label Southern Lord.
Solis also worked as a publicist for Black Flag at SST, under the label’s founder, Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. Basically it was the gig of Solis’ 15-year-old dreams. “I took the job because I thought it would be great to work for an icon, a legend,” he says. It was there that he learned the philosophy of DIY.
Three years ago, while strolling down the road near the Southern Lord offices in East Hollywood, Solis came upon the Relax Bar, a 150-person capacity Thai karaoke bar with an orange awning. Solis has single-handedly transformed it into a hub for L.A.’s heavy music scene. He’s booked more than 400 thrash, doom, noise and punk bands there in the last three years. “I was going to lunch, walking past the Relax Bar and the door was open. I saw a stage and it had this dark, musty kind of vibe. Kind of grim in terms of the atmosphere but real positive in terms of what you could do there. I thought, if I could get these owners on the same page and book any format — whether it’s satanic black metal or really avant-garde stuff — that would be great.”
The Relax Bar’s owners, despite not being fluent in English, supported Solis’ vision, prompting the most unlikely cultural union since Weezer recruited Kenny G. “They had a guy translating as I tried to describe the kinds of bands I wanted to book, using metal as my main focus. I said ‘Ozzfest, no — not those kinds of bands. Stuff that’s a little more creative, full of more soul, and more organic.” He played them some It’s Casual and High on Fire and a selection of punk and grindcore CDs, and they seemed to like it. Turns out the ballad-loving Thai karaoke bar owners, like Solis, possessed an unyielding passion for DIY. “They know how much work it is to bring your gear out, record your own stuff and self-release records,” says Solis. “They are all musicians themselves.” It’s been a happy union ever since, with some of the gnarliest underground bands in L.A., from Municipal Waste to Chingalera, rocking the Relax Bar’s tiny stage amid the perpetual aroma of green curry and ginger — and, when the door pops open, the faint smell of bus exhaust.
0 Views
22:39:27 05/17/12
It's Casual - Live in Studio B - Part 2 - The Red Line
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 22:39:27 05/17/12
Part 2 of It's Casual performing live at Mevio Studios in San Francisco
For the entire performance CLICK HERE
WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER MYSPACE YOUTUBE
BIO:
Like most Angelenos, Eddie Solis is pissed about the traffic on the 101. Unlike most Angelenos, Eddie Solis writes songs about being pissed about the traffic on the 101.
Solis’ band, an impossibly loud punk/hardcore duo called It’s Casual, addresses transit issues with an urgency hitherto unmatched in the realm of urban planning. Imagine Henry Rollins at a City Council Transportation Committee meeting, all neck veins and municipal outrage, and you get the picture.
Onstage, Solis’ eyes bulge amid a shock of curly hair, his throat emitting the collective war cry of a million frustrated commuters: “Los Angeles! There’s too many people! I want them to go away!”
His isn’t the Los Angeles of Priuses, Pilates and brunch, but the L.A. of undocumented immigrants, hardcore music and bus-stop delays. After nearly 10 years of ceaseless yelling, It’s Casual have a busy year ahead of them, what with slots on Fu Manchu’s North American tour, a forthcoming sequel to their ’08 ode to the city, The New Los Angeles, and, maybe, a European tour.
“We’ve been working at it and believing in this kind of music — which I call L.A. hardcore or L.A. skate rock — every day,” says Solis. His gaze is unflinching, and his voice is smog-raspened. He calls It’s Casual “L.A.’s only two-piece hardcore band” and is serious about his art. “I don’t take it lightly. It all comes from deep within.”
It’s Casual formed in 2001, the name inspired by a line in Cameron Crowe’s obscure follow-up to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, called The Wild Life. In it, a character played by the late Christopher Penn replies with “It’s casual” every time he is asked a question. Solis currently has a similar relationship with drummers — he’s between them. As far as a third member? “We kept trying to find a bassist, and they kept flaking,” Solis says.
The band’s sonic boom is amazing, considering there are only two of them. The secret to their sound is a unique pedal and mic’ing system. Solis’ guitar is actually wired to two amps for added punch. The results are so thunderous that fellow musicians have been known to come early to shows to watch him set up. (“There is a special formula with different pedals,” he explains of his sound. He’s trying to register it as intellectual property.)
It’s Casual’s first record, The New Los Angeles, came out in fall 2007, and was inspired by Solis’ commute from Pico Rivera to Hollywood. Tracks include “EZ Pass,” about the public transit ticket, and “The Red Line” (the handy subway that connects North Hollywood to Union Station). Most of It’s Casual’s songs last around two minutes and contain no more than three or four lyrics, hammering home their message with a directness most public servants and council officials have yet to master. Even Councilman Bill Rosendahl, chair of Los Angeles’ Transportation Committee, is impressed. “Music is a good way to get transportation messages across,” he says during a recent phone call, adding that he hoped It’s Casual were aware that plans for the Purple Line are afoot. “They should write a song about the Purple Line!” he enthuses, suggesting possible lyrics, singing: “The Purple Line/In my lifetime!”
It’s not all subways and off-ramps. Solis ventures into other matters. “Cholas Are Loyal,” for example, is all about the advantages of dating Latinas. And It’s Casual’s next album, The New Los Angeles II: Less Violence, More Violins, is inspired primarily by the California education budget deficit. “Do you think It’s Casual will translate in Europe?” he wonders, aware of his band’s distinctly local messages. But wherever there is a rush hour, there are people who identify with Eddie Solis.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles County, Solis is “the result of basically growing up around a gang-infested area with lots of negativity.” He turned to music and skateboarding as an escape, and was 15 when he started his first band — a Ramones cover group called Endless Vacation, which played shows in his parents’ living room. He got “the heaviness” from his father, who used to carry his young son around the house on his shoulders while listening to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and the Who. “They weren’t handing me money to buy me instruments,” Solis says, “but they were, like, ‘Hey, listen, we know you wanna do this, so here’s our backyard and here’s our living room.’ Which is pretty punk.”
His parents let him build a halfpipe in the back, and Solis would “put Slayer on the radio superloud” and learn skateboarding tricks with his friends. “That would be Friday night, and then Saturday we would have a show on the ramp and take donations to keep it refurbished.” Skate videos informed his taste in music — the teenage Solis would grab a pen and paper and pause the VCR to jot down names of bands like Black Flag, Dinosaur Junior, Hüsker Dü, “… all the good stuff on SST.”
Fast-forward to 1993, when Solis started interning at metal record label Century Media, which gave him a taste of hardcore commuting. Taking the bus from Pico Rivera to the label’s headquarters in Santa Monica every day was a formative experience, but he only lasted about a month (“Well, you know, it was a long trek”). That job led to a position at Priority Records, down the street in the CNN building. That’s where he learned how to sell records, a job he still does today as sales manager at doom-metal label Southern Lord.
Solis also worked as a publicist for Black Flag at SST, under the label’s founder, Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. Basically it was the gig of Solis’ 15-year-old dreams. “I took the job because I thought it would be great to work for an icon, a legend,” he says. It was there that he learned the philosophy of DIY.
Three years ago, while strolling down the road near the Southern Lord offices in East Hollywood, Solis came upon the Relax Bar, a 150-person capacity Thai karaoke bar with an orange awning. Solis has single-handedly transformed it into a hub for L.A.’s heavy music scene. He’s booked more than 400 thrash, doom, noise and punk bands there in the last three years. “I was going to lunch, walking past the Relax Bar and the door was open. I saw a stage and it had this dark, musty kind of vibe. Kind of grim in terms of the atmosphere but real positive in terms of what you could do there. I thought, if I could get these owners on the same page and book any format — whether it’s satanic black metal or really avant-garde stuff — that would be great.”
The Relax Bar’s owners, despite not being fluent in English, supported Solis’ vision, prompting the most unlikely cultural union since Weezer recruited Kenny G. “They had a guy translating as I tried to describe the kinds of bands I wanted to book, using metal as my main focus. I said ‘Ozzfest, no — not those kinds of bands. Stuff that’s a little more creative, full of more soul, and more organic.” He played them some It’s Casual and High on Fire and a selection of punk and grindcore CDs, and they seemed to like it. Turns out the ballad-loving Thai karaoke bar owners, like Solis, possessed an unyielding passion for DIY. “They know how much work it is to bring your gear out, record your own stuff and self-release records,” says Solis. “They are all musicians themselves.” It’s been a happy union ever since, with some of the gnarliest underground bands in L.A., from Municipal Waste to Chingalera, rocking the Relax Bar’s tiny stage amid the perpetual aroma of green curry and ginger — and, when the door pops open, the faint smell of bus exhaust.
0 Views
22:21:27 05/17/12
It's Casual - Live in Studio B - Part 3 - EZ Pass
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 22:21:27 05/17/12
Part 3 of It's Casual performing live at Mevio Studios in San Francisco
For the entire performance CLICK HERE
WEBSITE FACEBOOK TWITTER MYSPACE YOUTUBE
BIO:
Like most Angelenos, Eddie Solis is pissed about the traffic on the 101. Unlike most Angelenos, Eddie Solis writes songs about being pissed about the traffic on the 101.
Solis’ band, an impossibly loud punk/hardcore duo called It’s Casual, addresses transit issues with an urgency hitherto unmatched in the realm of urban planning. Imagine Henry Rollins at a City Council Transportation Committee meeting, all neck veins and municipal outrage, and you get the picture.
Onstage, Solis’ eyes bulge amid a shock of curly hair, his throat emitting the collective war cry of a million frustrated commuters: “Los Angeles! There’s too many people! I want them to go away!”
His isn’t the Los Angeles of Priuses, Pilates and brunch, but the L.A. of undocumented immigrants, hardcore music and bus-stop delays. After nearly 10 years of ceaseless yelling, It’s Casual have a busy year ahead of them, what with slots on Fu Manchu’s North American tour, a forthcoming sequel to their ’08 ode to the city, The New Los Angeles, and, maybe, a European tour.
“We’ve been working at it and believing in this kind of music — which I call L.A. hardcore or L.A. skate rock — every day,” says Solis. His gaze is unflinching, and his voice is smog-raspened. He calls It’s Casual “L.A.’s only two-piece hardcore band” and is serious about his art. “I don’t take it lightly. It all comes from deep within.”
It’s Casual formed in 2001, the name inspired by a line in Cameron Crowe’s obscure follow-up to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, called The Wild Life. In it, a character played by the late Christopher Penn replies with “It’s casual” every time he is asked a question. Solis currently has a similar relationship with drummers — he’s between them. As far as a third member? “We kept trying to find a bassist, and they kept flaking,” Solis says.
The band’s sonic boom is amazing, considering there are only two of them. The secret to their sound is a unique pedal and mic’ing system. Solis’ guitar is actually wired to two amps for added punch. The results are so thunderous that fellow musicians have been known to come early to shows to watch him set up. (“There is a special formula with different pedals,” he explains of his sound. He’s trying to register it as intellectual property.)
It’s Casual’s first record, The New Los Angeles, came out in fall 2007, and was inspired by Solis’ commute from Pico Rivera to Hollywood. Tracks include “EZ Pass,” about the public transit ticket, and “The Red Line” (the handy subway that connects North Hollywood to Union Station). Most of It’s Casual’s songs last around two minutes and contain no more than three or four lyrics, hammering home their message with a directness most public servants and council officials have yet to master. Even Councilman Bill Rosendahl, chair of Los Angeles’ Transportation Committee, is impressed. “Music is a good way to get transportation messages across,” he says during a recent phone call, adding that he hoped It’s Casual were aware that plans for the Purple Line are afoot. “They should write a song about the Purple Line!” he enthuses, suggesting possible lyrics, singing: “The Purple Line/In my lifetime!”
It’s not all subways and off-ramps. Solis ventures into other matters. “Cholas Are Loyal,” for example, is all about the advantages of dating Latinas. And It’s Casual’s next album, The New Los Angeles II: Less Violence, More Violins, is inspired primarily by the California education budget deficit. “Do you think It’s Casual will translate in Europe?” he wonders, aware of his band’s distinctly local messages. But wherever there is a rush hour, there are people who identify with Eddie Solis.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles County, Solis is “the result of basically growing up around a gang-infested area with lots of negativity.” He turned to music and skateboarding as an escape, and was 15 when he started his first band — a Ramones cover group called Endless Vacation, which played shows in his parents’ living room. He got “the heaviness” from his father, who used to carry his young son around the house on his shoulders while listening to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and the Who. “They weren’t handing me money to buy me instruments,” Solis says, “but they were, like, ‘Hey, listen, we know you wanna do this, so here’s our backyard and here’s our living room.’ Which is pretty punk.”
His parents let him build a halfpipe in the back, and Solis would “put Slayer on the radio superloud” and learn skateboarding tricks with his friends. “That would be Friday night, and then Saturday we would have a show on the ramp and take donations to keep it refurbished.” Skate videos informed his taste in music — the teenage Solis would grab a pen and paper and pause the VCR to jot down names of bands like Black Flag, Dinosaur Junior, Hüsker Dü, “… all the good stuff on SST.”
Fast-forward to 1993, when Solis started interning at metal record label Century Media, which gave him a taste of hardcore commuting. Taking the bus from Pico Rivera to the label’s headquarters in Santa Monica every day was a formative experience, but he only lasted about a month (“Well, you know, it was a long trek”). That job led to a position at Priority Records, down the street in the CNN building. That’s where he learned how to sell records, a job he still does today as sales manager at doom-metal label Southern Lord.
Solis also worked as a publicist for Black Flag at SST, under the label’s founder, Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. Basically it was the gig of Solis’ 15-year-old dreams. “I took the job because I thought it would be great to work for an icon, a legend,” he says. It was there that he learned the philosophy of DIY.
Three years ago, while strolling down the road near the Southern Lord offices in East Hollywood, Solis came upon the Relax Bar, a 150-person capacity Thai karaoke bar with an orange awning. Solis has single-handedly transformed it into a hub for L.A.’s heavy music scene. He’s booked more than 400 thrash, doom, noise and punk bands there in the last three years. “I was going to lunch, walking past the Relax Bar and the door was open. I saw a stage and it had this dark, musty kind of vibe. Kind of grim in terms of the atmosphere but real positive in terms of what you could do there. I thought, if I could get these owners on the same page and book any format — whether it’s satanic black metal or really avant-garde stuff — that would be great.”
The Relax Bar’s owners, despite not being fluent in English, supported Solis’ vision, prompting the most unlikely cultural union since Weezer recruited Kenny G. “They had a guy translating as I tried to describe the kinds of bands I wanted to book, using metal as my main focus. I said ‘Ozzfest, no — not those kinds of bands. Stuff that’s a little more creative, full of more soul, and more organic.” He played them some It’s Casual and High on Fire and a selection of punk and grindcore CDs, and they seemed to like it. Turns out the ballad-loving Thai karaoke bar owners, like Solis, possessed an unyielding passion for DIY. “They know how much work it is to bring your gear out, record your own stuff and self-release records,” says Solis. “They are all musicians themselves.” It’s been a happy union ever since, with some of the gnarliest underground bands in L.A., from Municipal Waste to Chingalera, rocking the Relax Bar’s tiny stage amid the perpetual aroma of green curry and ginger — and, when the door pops open, the faint smell of bus exhaust.
0 Views
21:54:59 05/17/12
It's Casual - Live in Studio B
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 21:54:59 05/17/12
It's Casual performs live at Mevio Studios in San Francisco
BIO:
Like most Angelenos, Eddie Solis is pissed about the traffic on the 101. Unlike most Angelenos, Eddie Solis writes songs about being pissed about the traffic on the 101.
Solis’ band, an impossibly loud punk/hardcore duo called It’s Casual, addresses transit issues with an urgency hitherto unmatched in the realm of urban planning. Imagine Henry Rollins at a City Council Transportation Committee meeting, all neck veins and municipal outrage, and you get the picture.
Onstage, Solis’ eyes bulge amid a shock of curly hair, his throat emitting the collective war cry of a million frustrated commuters: “Los Angeles! There’s too many people! I want them to go away!”
His isn’t the Los Angeles of Priuses, Pilates and brunch, but the L.A. of undocumented immigrants, hardcore music and bus-stop delays. After nearly 10 years of ceaseless yelling, It’s Casual have a busy year ahead of them, what with slots on Fu Manchu’s North American tour, a forthcoming sequel to their ’08 ode to the city, The New Los Angeles, and, maybe, a European tour.
“We’ve been working at it and believing in this kind of music — which I call L.A. hardcore or L.A. skate rock — every day,” says Solis. His gaze is unflinching, and his voice is smog-raspened. He calls It’s Casual “L.A.’s only two-piece hardcore band” and is serious about his art. “I don’t take it lightly. It all comes from deep within.”
It’s Casual formed in 2001, the name inspired by a line in Cameron Crowe’s obscure follow-up to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, called The Wild Life. In it, a character played by the late Christopher Penn replies with “It’s casual” every time he is asked a question. Solis currently has a similar relationship with drummers — he’s between them. As far as a third member? “We kept trying to find a bassist, and they kept flaking,” Solis says.
The band’s sonic boom is amazing, considering there are only two of them. The secret to their sound is a unique pedal and mic’ing system. Solis’ guitar is actually wired to two amps for added punch. The results are so thunderous that fellow musicians have been known to come early to shows to watch him set up. (“There is a special formula with different pedals,” he explains of his sound. He’s trying to register it as intellectual property.)
It’s Casual’s first record, The New Los Angeles, came out in fall 2007, and was inspired by Solis’ commute from Pico Rivera to Hollywood. Tracks include “EZ Pass,” about the public transit ticket, and “The Red Line” (the handy subway that connects North Hollywood to Union Station). Most of It’s Casual’s songs last around two minutes and contain no more than three or four lyrics, hammering home their message with a directness most public servants and council officials have yet to master. Even Councilman Bill Rosendahl, chair of Los Angeles’ Transportation Committee, is impressed. “Music is a good way to get transportation messages across,” he says during a recent phone call, adding that he hoped It’s Casual were aware that plans for the Purple Line are afoot. “They should write a song about the Purple Line!” he enthuses, suggesting possible lyrics, singing: “The Purple Line/In my lifetime!”
It’s not all subways and off-ramps. Solis ventures into other matters. “Cholas Are Loyal,” for example, is all about the advantages of dating Latinas. And It’s Casual’s next album, The New Los Angeles II: Less Violence, More Violins, is inspired primarily by the California education budget deficit. “Do you think It’s Casual will translate in Europe?” he wonders, aware of his band’s distinctly local messages. But wherever there is a rush hour, there are people who identify with Eddie Solis.
Born and raised in East Los Angeles County, Solis is “the result of basically growing up around a gang-infested area with lots of negativity.” He turned to music and skateboarding as an escape, and was 15 when he started his first band — a Ramones cover group called Endless Vacation, which played shows in his parents’ living room. He got “the heaviness” from his father, who used to carry his young son around the house on his shoulders while listening to Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and the Who. “They weren’t handing me money to buy me instruments,” Solis says, “but they were, like, ‘Hey, listen, we know you wanna do this, so here’s our backyard and here’s our living room.’ Which is pretty punk.”
His parents let him build a halfpipe in the back, and Solis would “put Slayer on the radio superloud” and learn skateboarding tricks with his friends. “That would be Friday night, and then Saturday we would have a show on the ramp and take donations to keep it refurbished.” Skate videos informed his taste in music — the teenage Solis would grab a pen and paper and pause the VCR to jot down names of bands like Black Flag, Dinosaur Junior, Hüsker Dü, “… all the good stuff on SST.”
Fast-forward to 1993, when Solis started interning at metal record label Century Media, which gave him a taste of hardcore commuting. Taking the bus from Pico Rivera to the label’s headquarters in Santa Monica every day was a formative experience, but he only lasted about a month (“Well, you know, it was a long trek”). That job led to a position at Priority Records, down the street in the CNN building. That’s where he learned how to sell records, a job he still does today as sales manager at doom-metal label Southern Lord.
Solis also worked as a publicist for Black Flag at SST, under the label’s founder, Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn. Basically it was the gig of Solis’ 15-year-old dreams. “I took the job because I thought it would be great to work for an icon, a legend,” he says. It was there that he learned the philosophy of DIY.
Three years ago, while strolling down the road near the Southern Lord offices in East Hollywood, Solis came upon the Relax Bar, a 150-person capacity Thai karaoke bar with an orange awning. Solis has single-handedly transformed it into a hub for L.A.’s heavy music scene. He’s booked more than 400 thrash, doom, noise and punk bands there in the last three years. “I was going to lunch, walking past the Relax Bar and the door was open. I saw a stage and it had this dark, musty kind of vibe. Kind of grim in terms of the atmosphere but real positive in terms of what you could do there. I thought, if I could get these owners on the same page and book any format — whether it’s satanic black metal or really avant-garde stuff — that would be great.”
The Relax Bar’s owners, despite not being fluent in English, supported Solis’ vision, prompting the most unlikely cultural union since Weezer recruited Kenny G. “They had a guy translating as I tried to describe the kinds of bands I wanted to book, using metal as my main focus. I said ‘Ozzfest, no — not those kinds of bands. Stuff that’s a little more creative, full of more soul, and more organic.” He played them some It’s Casual and High on Fire and a selection of punk and grindcore CDs, and they seemed to like it. Turns out the ballad-loving Thai karaoke bar owners, like Solis, possessed an unyielding passion for DIY. “They know how much work it is to bring your gear out, record your own stuff and self-release records,” says Solis. “They are all musicians themselves.” It’s been a happy union ever since, with some of the gnarliest underground bands in L.A., from Municipal Waste to Chingalera, rocking the Relax Bar’s tiny stage amid the perpetual aroma of green curry and ginger — and, when the door pops open, the faint smell of bus exhaust.
0 Views
20:12:19 05/17/12
HSBC says cost cuts on track
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 20:12:19 05/17/12
HSBC says cost cuts on track
www.euronews.com HSBC has doubled the annual revenue boost it expects from its turnaround plan to the equivalent of 1.57 billion euros. Having already sold 28 businesses and got rid of fifteen thousand workers, Europe's biggest bank said it is looking at additional cuts to deal with the costs of new regulations brought in following the financial crisis. It will also focus more on its fast-growing Asian markets. Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver said on Thursday that, one year into a three-year recovery plan, HSBC was on target to meet profitability and cost savings targets. Gulliver said his biggest external worry "is absolutely how the eurozone plays out and whether Greece stays in, whether firewalls are high enough to protect Spain and, frankly, whether markets take things into their own hands before June 17," when Greece holds new elections. "Investors have been sceptical about our ability to get our hands around HSBC. The scepticism was about anybody's ability to move such a large firm and change its direction," Gulliver told reporters before a presentation to analysts. "At the year one report card we can evidence that on things we can control we are demonstrating significant traction. We are delivering with good momentum given a difficult backdrop." Analysts said the update was reassuring, but think it will be a challenge hitting cost targets. "HSBC should come out and be honest about it. In reality, there was a force majeure in Europe blowing up, and they will need ... From: Euronews Views: 71 0 ratings Time: 00:26 More in News & Politics
0 Views
20:12:19 05/17/12
HSBC says cost cuts on track
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 20:12:19 05/17/12
HSBC says cost cuts on track
www.euronews.com HSBC has doubled the annual revenue boost it expects from its turnaround plan to the equivalent of 1.57 billion euros. Having already sold 28 businesses and got rid of fifteen thousand workers, Europe's biggest bank said it is looking at additional cuts to deal with the costs of new regulations brought in following the financial crisis. It will also focus more on its fast-growing Asian markets. Chief Executive Stuart Gulliver said on Thursday that, one year into a three-year recovery plan, HSBC was on target to meet profitability and cost savings targets. Gulliver said his biggest external worry "is absolutely how the eurozone plays out and whether Greece stays in, whether firewalls are high enough to protect Spain and, frankly, whether markets take things into their own hands before June 17," when Greece holds new elections. "Investors have been sceptical about our ability to get our hands around HSBC. The scepticism was about anybody's ability to move such a large firm and change its direction," Gulliver told reporters before a presentation to analysts. "At the year one report card we can evidence that on things we can control we are demonstrating significant traction. We are delivering with good momentum given a difficult backdrop." Analysts said the update was reassuring, but think it will be a challenge hitting cost targets. "HSBC should come out and be honest about it. In reality, there was a force majeure in Europe blowing up, and they will need ... From: Euronews Views: 60 0 ratings Time: 00:26 More in News & Politics
0 Views
23:56:36 05/14/12
New Releases For May 15, 2012 - Press Pause Daily
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 23:56:36 05/14/12
This week brings quite a few high profile releases to help unburden your wallet of all of that pesky money.
SHOW NOTES:
GAME 1: Diablo III - PC, MAC
First up is the much anticipated action RPG Diablo 3, which brings players back to the land of Sanctuary.
20 years have passed since the end of the last Diablo 2 expansion, and the Demon Lords Azmodan and Belial make a return.
The game will feature five character classes including: the Barbarian, the Monk, the Wizard, the Witch Doctor, and the Demon Hunter.
You’ll be able to use the environments as a weapon by setting traps, or using destructible objects and environmental obstacles to your advantage.
The game’s multiplayer will utilize a new and improved version of Blizzard’s Battle.net that will make connecting and plyaing with your friends a lot easier.
You’ll also be able to utilize in game artisans that can you to craft new weapons and items, and the in game auction house will let you sell items for in game as well as real world money.
The single player game will let you use up to three AI followers, and skills and abilities will unlock as soon as you level up. You will also be able to use many more of your new skills simultaneously.
Gamers have been patiently waiting for this game for over 10 years. I’m sure there are a lot of people who won’t be heard from for a few weeks after they get their hands on this.
GAME 2: Max Payne 3 - PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Next up is the return of the popular third person shooter Max Payne.
Max Payne 3 sees an older and slightly more broken Max as he decides to take a job down in São Paulo, Brazil, protecting the family of wealthy real estate mogul Rodrigo Branco.
Of course, as things usually go in this type of story, everything turns to shit, and now Max finds himself alone in an unfamiliar city, and he’ll have to find out the truth in order to survive.
The game will feature cutting edge shooting mechanics for precision gunplay, advanced new Bullet Time and Shootdodge effects, full integration of Natural Motion's Euphoria Character Behavior system for lifelike movement.
This will also be the first Max Payne game to feature multiplayer. It will feature the same Bullet Time as the single player game. It will also have many weapons, characters, locations, and more to choose from.
A lot of people were skeptical about a new Max Payne game, especially one not developed by Remedy. However, things are looking pretty good for this release, and it might just be one to take a closer look at.
GAME 3: Game of Thrones - PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Our next game is based on the wildly popular book and television series Game of Thrones.
This 30 plus hour game will take gamers into the George R. R. Martin created world of Westeros as one of two original characters who were both once part of Robert’s Rebellion.
As you play you will forge alliances and wage battles as they play a pivotal role in the ongoing war for power of the Seven Kingdoms.
Feel time slow in the heat of battle: Combat mirrors the series' thoughtful approach to war and politics: fighting slows but never stops entirely, forcing the player to make quick, pressured choices before their enemy strikes again.
If you’re a fan of both the books or the TV series, and want to spend more time in the land of Westeros, then go ahead and grab this title today.
GAME 4: Battleship - PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, 3DS, DS
And lastly today we have a tie-in to the upcoming movie based on the classic boardgame Battleship.
Step into the role of Cole Mathis, the U.S. Navy's "boots on the ground," and experience thrilling gameplay as you combat a deadly alien invasion in this game inspired by the upcoming Universal Pictures film.
Command real-time control of naval units, strategize a map-wide plan of attack and direct your fleet to launch air strikes, conduct radar sweeps and engage in high-seas combat.
Battle against the invading threat on the shores of Hawaii as a member of the elite E.O.D. Arm yourself with an arsenal of deadly weapons and upgradeable naval units, all with special attacks and attributes.
The movie itself looks like good dumb fun in the vein of a Michael Bay film, and hopefully this game can be just as entertaining. It is a movie tie-in game though, so I don’t hold out much hope.
Be sure to catch past episodes of Press Pause. To do that, you just need to go to presspause.mevio.com , or our YouTube channel youtube.com/presspausemevio .
0 Views
00:57:08 05/11/12
Hitman Bonus Game and Bioshock Delayed - Press Pause Daily
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 00:57:08 05/11/12
New Hitman gets pre-order bonus game and Bioshock gets delayed.
SHOW NOTES:
Story 1:
Pre-ordering a game, and getting a bonus has become pretty much par for the course in video games now. Usually it’s a figurine, or some DLC, but the upcoming Hitman: Absolution is giving gamers a whole other game.
Hitman: Sniper Challenge, according to Square Enix, is "standalone 'hit' in the Hitman universe…intended as separate content for fans to enjoy whilst waiting for Hitman: Absolution to be released."
The game has Agent 47 in a mission to take out a weapons company exec and his bodyguards.
Gamers who get the game will unlock several items in Absolution, including the Silenced Agency Kazo TRG as well as 12 other weapon techniques.
Hitman: Sniper Challenge is available from Gamestop in the US on PS3 and Xbox 360 on May 15th, and on PC on August 1st. Hitman: Absolution will launch sometime this fall.
http://www.gamespot.com/news/hitman-absolution-gets-pre-order-bonus-game-6376059
Story 2:
We have a bit of sad news. Irrational Games announced that the upcoming Bioshock Infinite will slip from its original October release date.
The game will now come out on February, 26th of next year.
Creative Director Ken Levine posted on the game’s official website that they “we felt pretty good about the timing. Since then, we’ve uncovered opportunities to make Infinite into something even more extraordinary.” Because of that, Levine and company decided to push the game into next year.
Another consequence of this is that the company will enter essentially a media blackout. The company will now not be showing off the game at any big upcoming events, and that includes E3 and GamesCom.
According to Levine: "Preparing for these events takes time away from development, time we’re going to use instead to get the best version of Infinite into your hands in February."
We’d be lying if we said we weren’t disappointed in the news, but Irrational makes good games, and giving them time to get it right is fine. And besides, a lot of games were coming out in October, so at least my wallet won’t take QUITE as big a hit then it was going to.
http://www.gametrailers.com/side-mission/2012/05/09/bioshock-infinite-delayed-enters-media-blackout/
That will do it for your daily dose of Press Pause. You can always find all our episodes over at presspause.mevio.com . You can also check them out over at our Youtube channel: youtube.com/presspausemevio .
0 Views
22:39:56 05/09/12
Black Widow vs Buffy Summers Fanboy Faceoff Results
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 22:39:56 05/09/12
Black Widow vs Buffy Summers Fanboy Faceoff Results
bit.ly - The Avengers Clevver U! bit.ly - The Avengers Trailer! bit.ly - Click to Subscribe! Facebook.com - Become a Fan! Twitter.com - Follow Us! With Joss Whedon's The Avengers tearing up the global box office, we thought it was more than appropriate to have two of his toughest leading ladies, Black Widow and Buffy Summers, go head to head in this week's Fanboy Faceoff. It was a tough battle and the closest Faceoff yet, but you, our experts voted and we have the results. With the release of The Avengers, Black Widow had tons of support and many thought her cunningness and assassin skills would easily be a match for Buffy's slayer powers. @AshleyFrancis98 tweeted, "Buffy is strong, but Black Widow is like a ninja/spy! With her incredible kickass moves she'd 'slay' Buffy herself!" THESQUIGGS1 was also pro-Widow stating, "Black widow would win for the simple fact that she's smarter and she use her superior intelligence to win....C'mon guys, she tricked the ultimate trickster - Loki." Buffy has proven time and time again to be a formidable opponent and many of you thought a slayer easily trumps a super spy. Iluvjacoblack995 commented, "Black Widow's cool and all that, but no one beats a slayer with a kick-ass witch best friend, supernatural strength and agility, a scythe, and a Giles!" While HeartlessDragon25 said, "I like Black Widow, but you got to hand it to Buffy, she has slayed living and non living fiends throughout the series. It would be a great match up to see if ... From: ClevverMovies Views: 5349 197 ratings Time: 02:58 More in Film & Animation
1 Views
16:09:48 05/09/12
ZTE Nova 3.5 Hands-on
[LESS INFO] 1 VIEWS | ADDED 16:09:48 05/09/12
ZTE Nova 3.5 Hands-on
For more details, check out our web site: www.phonearena.com PhoneArena presents a hands-on video of the ZTE Nova 3.5. If you're quite familiar with Chinese smartphone maker ZTE, then you probably know the kind of devices they're known to put out. Honestly, when it comes down to it, they've nailed it down to a tooth when it comes to producing downright cheap devices -- and the same implies to the European bound ZTE Nova 3.5... From: PhoneArena Views: 2387 30 ratings Time: 02:06 More in Science & Technology
0 Views
20:28:51 05/08/12
ZTE Nova 4.0 V8000 hands-on
[LESS INFO] 0 VIEWS | ADDED 20:28:51 05/08/12
ZTE Nova 4.0 V8000 hands-on
For more details, check out our web site: www.phonearena.com Currently, Cricket Wireless customers are relishing on the respectable Huawei Mercury, but it appears as though ZTE is readying a device that's sure to compete against it. Although it has yet to become official, we're told that the ZTE Nova 4.0 V8000 is headed to Cricket's lineup sometime in the future, bringing along some appealing specs that should no doubt capture the attention of ... From: PhoneArena Views: 4839 52 ratings Time: 02:16 More in Science & Technology







